Anti-Racism Protesters Preparing For Showdown At University Of Florida

Florida’s governor declared a state of emergency ahead of Richard Spencer’s event.

Momentum grows among antiracism protesters in preparation for White supremacist Richard Spencer’s speech on Thursday at the University of Florida campus.

No White Supremacy At UF is rallying its forces on Facebook, telling activists that they “must stand together in the fight against white supremacy and fascism, and defend the most marginalized of our communities.”

Scott’s executive order enables local police to join forces with other law enforcement agencies in Florida. At the same time, the governor is also activating the state’s National Guard.

According to the newspaper, the university officials plan to spend $500,000 on security. Spencer’s lawyer and his supporters pressured the university to host the event after officials declined—following White supremacist violence at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Angel Torres, who identified himself as a University of Florida alumnus, thanked No White Supremacy At UF for organizing activists.

“I am embarrassed and furious that this would even be entertained by campus officials, let alone the nonsense of drawing up a security plan,” he wrote on the group’s Facebook page.

Torres added: “Nazis have killed people of color in THIS country for generations. We know what domestic terrorism looks like and their end game has never changed – extermination of all those inferior. This is beyond insulting.”

Alan-Charles Ellaway wrote that failure to confront hatred results in accepting it, adding that bigotry consequently “becomes the accepted, and the commonplace.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, calls for calm, tweeting that Spencer “craves publicity.” The White supremacist will be embarrassed if he doesn’t get attention.

#GatorNation not asking u to ignore his racist message.I am suggesting you embarrass him by denying him the attention he craves #Sayfie 2/2